John Freml’s statement at the SNAP news conference on March 4, 2015

By John Freml
Holy Family Inclusive Catholic Community
March 4, 2015

http://www.inclusiveholyfamily.org/blog/john-fremls-statement-at-the-snap-news-conference-on-march-4-2015

What follows is a transcript of the statement I gave at the SNAP news conference that took place today, March 4, 2015, outside the Catholic Pastoral Center in Springfield.

My name is John Freml, and I’m a leader in the central Illinois chapter of Call To Action. The reason I’m here today – the reason why I wanted to assist David from SNAP – is to call for additional accountability from our diocese and from our bishop.

Now, Bishop Paprocki is a very smart man. He’s a civil lawyer and a canon lawyer, and he knows exactly what he’s doing. Don’t get me wrong – he’s done some good in our community, by establishing a legal service for low income people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.

However, we can’t forget that he is also the same man who – in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2007 – said, and I quote, “the principal force behind (sex-abuse lawsuits) is none other than the devil.”

Really. So it’s the victims who are doing the work of the devil, not the priests who harm children, or the bishops who protect them? According to Bishop Paprocki, it’s the victims.

And if you can’t believe he said such a ridiculous thing, you can look it up for yourself on the SJ-R website.

Since he has arrived in Springfield, he has been largely silent on this issue, except to give a few half-hearted apologies that don’t do anything to repair the harm that’s already been done, or to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

Granted, what we’ve learned from SNAP today occurred before Bishop Paprocki got to Springfield. But you know what? He was the Chancellor of Chicago at the time, and should have known what was happening to predator priests under his command. And even if he didn’t, he inherited this mess, and it’s his job to clean it up.

So what am I calling for, specifically?

First, transparency. I think I speak for all lay Catholics everywhere when I say that I am sick of all the secrecy. If we are expected to attend Mass – and indeed, it’s a sin if we don’t – and if we are expected to give to our parish, and to all of the appeals that our diocese asks of us, then we need to know precisely where our money is going, and what it’s supporting.

I want to know how much of the money that is collected goes to pay for reparations for the victims of abuse. I want to know how much is going into the pockets of lawyers hired to protect predator priests.

But beyond that, I want the names of every priest released who has been accused of sexual assault. I want to know what they were accused of, where they went after they were accused, and who sent them there. I want to know who knew what. And then I want the police to know, too.

I want the church to stop running from its legal and its moral obligations. Are any of the accused priests still in active ministry? What about the bishops who aided them? Give us names. Give us the truth. Turn them in.

What about the statute of limitations? I’m of the opinion that basic morality does not have a statute of limitations. Even if the church no longer has a legal obligation to do anything in some of these cases, the moral obligation is still there.

What is the purpose of the church? I thought the purpose was to save souls. To spread love. To live the gospel.

In regards to what we’ve learned today, how does any of this fit in with the ultimate purpose of the church? And if we can all agree that it doesn’t, what can the church do to start saving those souls again – especially the souls of the abused? What can the church do to show love to these victims? How can the church live the gospel again?

If you’ve followed me in the local media, you know I’ve been pretty critical of this bishop lately. But it’s not because I like the attention. It’s not because I’m a bully. Heck, I’m missing work to be here today! I am doing what I’m doing because it pains me, very deeply, to see my bishop in my church turn away from those very gospel values that originally drew me into the church.

We can be so much better than this. Please, Bishop Paprocki, if you’re listening, let’s start living the gospel again.